


Seven Days

by MissFrostFire



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Drama, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-19 11:31:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9438317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissFrostFire/pseuds/MissFrostFire
Summary: Do you think one week is enough time to fall in love? It seems more like a long nice dream. But for two young students this one week changed their lives.





	1. Monday

**Author's Note:**

> This story is my version of the BL Manga called Seven Days. If you have not read it then I suggest that you do. You'll notice a few changes here and there because I wanted to stick to the characters actual personality and age. There are also some quotes that are from the BL Manga, just so you know.
> 
> Also, thank you to The Mummy for going through my chapters.

A teenage boy sat by his desk looking out the window. His blue eyes were gazing up at the sky as he thought about his failed relationship. He wasn't particularly sad it ended. He had expected this. Girls would often confess to him that after getting to know each other they dumped him only because he couldn't meet their expectations. It was stupid really. The many girls he'd gone through were all the same. They thought because he looked handsome he should have a great personality to go with his looks. It was ignorant to think like that. He ran his hands through his blond locks while he yawned tiredly.

A sudden sharp pain struck the boy, surprising him greatly. A yelp escaped his lips before he turned to his right where a girl with pink hair stood.

“Sakura-chan?” He wasn't that surprised to see her standing there looking at him with a pointed look. “Why'd you hit me?” he asked with a frown as he rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head.

“Naruto, it's because you do such things like yawning out loud that the girls you're always with dump you in a flash, despite that good-looking face of yours, you know?” she said in her usual smart ass tone. “It's about time you got aware of things like that and did something about them.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.” The blond waved his hand as if to brush off the girl's words. He liked Sakura but she could be kind of a nuisance at times. This being one of those times.

The pinkette sighed with a roll of her eyes. “You never listen to advice when it's given to you,” she said and crossed her arms over her chest. “If you go on like that, your girlfriend's going to fall out of love with you pretty soon.” Her words sounded more like a warning than actual advice now.

“I'm thankful for your concern Sakura-chan, but I already got dumped.”

That earned him a surprised look. “When?”

“Yesterday.”

The two lapsed into silence. Naruto turned to write down something in his textbook. A sudden thought struck him in the middle of writing and he turned back to Sakura.

“She told me that I wasn't the person she thought I was.”

“There, didn't I tell you?” She sounded a bit smug even though her face was sympathetic.

The blond sighed as he turned back to writing. “It's her own fault for assuming. They're always the ones to confess their love to me to begin with and then they get disappointed when I'm not what they expect me to be.”

“Well, you can't really blame them. After all, there's a huge gap between your personality and your appearance.”

The blond rolled his eyes at the pinkette. It wasn't his fault they didn't like the person he really was.

“Putting your personality aside I have to say you look beautiful when you're drawing your bow. There's like this very stoic air around you.” She smiled at him. “And then there's that face of yours, which makes you seem just like the prince these naive girls have been fantasizing about. So it's not that hard to understand why they would assume.”

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck as another sigh escaped him. “I guess this image won't disappear until I leave the club...”

“Stop sighing. You look pathetic.”

He simply raised an eyebrow at the pinkette. “Do I look like I care?”

“Honestly? No, and that's kind of sad. You should be more careful about showing your true self.”

That earned her a snort. “I think it's a bit too late for that.”

“Whatever. Don't come crying to me when another one dumps you.”

“Believe me, I won't.” He paused and began to stare at nothing in particular. “Anyway,” he began to catch the other's attention. “The girls should get into their heads that perfect guys from a book or TV drama don't exist.” A sudden thought crossed his mind and he looked up at Sakura. “I'd consider myself lucky if I could get someone as realistic as you, Sakura-chan.”

“Oh?” The pinkette looked at him with interest. “How about it then? Do you want to try going out with me?”

“Sure, why not?” he answered immediately.

Sakura looked at him as if she'd never seen him before. “No way... Agreeing to it so lightly…”

“So you were just kidding?”

“Of course I was!”

He shrugged. “Okay. I had a feeling you didn't really mean it. Stuff like falling in love...” he trailed off and thought about it for a moment. “You never know when it's going to happen to you.”

The pinkette looked at him in silence. She was about to say something else when a voice from behind interrupted her.

“Hey!” The two students turned their heads to the voice to see a boy with mussed brown hair. “Do you guys want to order some pizza?”

Naruto's eyes lit up like a kid's on Christmas Day. “Yeah!”

A few minutes passed as the three discussed on what to order. Suddenly a pair of girls caught the blonde's attention and he couldn't help but listen in on what they were saying.

“Sasuke-kun is not here yet,” said one of the girls.

“I guess he's not coming to school today,” said the other one.

“I wonder if he's sick.”

“Yeah, I'm worried too.”

“Seems like Uchiha hasn't shown up today.”

The blond turned back to the brunet who'd spoken. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. “I kind of noticed that Kiba.”

“Oh yeah! Isn't Uchiha in archery?” He received a nod. “You're in the same year so you must be close, huh?”

The blond shook his head. “Not at all. We're just acquaintances. He rarely comes to practice so I don't see him that often.” He looked back at the pair of girls and noticed they had a certain look in their eyes. A sudden thought crossed his mind. “Is it Monday today?”

“Yeah,” said the brunet as he looked at the girls as well. “The day he'll definitely say 'yes'.”

“And at the end of the week he'll tell his partner exactly this: “I couldn't fall in love with you. Let's break up.””

The two boys turned towards Sakura that had spoken.

“Ah... That reminds me... Sakura-”

“That's right! I went out with him for exactly one week in May,” she said proudly with a big smile.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. “Why are you so proud of that?”

“Because it felt like I had hit jackpot when it happened.” She looked out in the distance with a wistful smile plastered on her face. “It was like a beautiful dream.”

The blond frowned a little. “Hey, isn't that a contradiction to what you were telling me earlier?”

The pinkette looked surprised. “Wow, I didn't know you knew such a difficult word like  _contradiction_ .”

The other scowled feeling offended. “Shut up...”

“Anyway,” said the brunet before the two started arguing. “Normal guys like me will never understand people who are that popular. Exactly what kind of person is Uchiha Sasuke anyway?”

“Well,” began the blond as he stood up from his desk while thinking about the guy. “He's handsome.”

“I really didn't need you to tell me that. I can tell by just looking at him.” The brunet looked at the blond who began to walk towards the door. “Hey!” he called out to stop him. “Where are you going?”

“Someone's gotta get those pizzas, right? You know my order. Just call and tell the delivery man there will be someone picking them up at the gates.” He was on his way out when a thought occurred to him. “Oh, and you two can help me finish my assignment in return. See ya!”

…

Naruto sat by the school gates looking up to the sky. It was clear with the exception of a few fluffy white clouds. He was currently thinking about what Kiba and Sakura had said regarding one Uchiha Sasuke. It was strange. He'd never found an interest in the guy. Now though, he was curious about what kind of a person he was. Well, he couldn't be any worse than he was for sure.

A sudden noise of a vehicle passing by snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked towards said transport.  _'Is that the pizza man?'_ He wondered for a moment as the car stopped a few feet away from him. It was confirmed that it wasn't when he could see and recognize one of the people. He continued watching the scene before him as the boy with raven hair spoke to the woman sitting behind the wheel. Black eyes suddenly glanced up and their eyes locked for a second.

The eyes turned away from him and back to the woman. Their conversation seemed to have ended as the raven took a step back and the woman drove off. Both of their eyes watched as the car disappeared from view.

“Morning.”

Naruto turned back to the front where the one and only Uchiha Sasuke was standing. He smiled kindly. “Long time no see, Uchiha.” He studied the other's face and could definitely see why girls fawn over him. Handsome didn't quite cut it. His looks were a bit beyond that. “Was that your girlfriend for the week?” he asked suddenly. “She looks older than twenty.”

“You're not very observant, N- Namikaze. You're wrong on both accounts.”

That was another thing. Every time the raven would say his last name he would stumble on it. It was as if he had difficulty saying it. It was strange but he'd never been so curious to ask since he rarely saw him.

“Anyway, what are you doing here in the first place?” asked the raven. “Don't you have class right now? It would be bad if you missed anything important.”

“I'm waiting for pizza,” said the blond casually. “We have a self-study period right now.”

“I see.”

The two lapsed into silence that wasn't entirely too uncomfortable. Naruto kept on staring at Sasuke while the other was looking at the sky. He kept on thinking about what Sakura had said. About that one week being like a dream.

“Say, has anyone yet confessed their love for you today?” he asked suddenly.

The raven looked at him in slight surprise but he shook his head eventually. “Not yet.”

“So it's going to start from now, huh...”

“Well, we'll have to see about that.” The raven was a bit confused why the blond seemed so interested about his life all of a sudden, but didn’t show it.

Said blond was actually wondering what he was thinking but he couldn't seem to stop himself. “Then,” he began to catch the other's attention as those black eyes locked with his. “Are you really fine with anyone as long as they ask you first? Even if they're not your type?”

Sasuke looked amused. “My type? Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't really have one.”

Naruto looked at the other in surprise. “Really? That can't be.”

“And how is that?” he asked with a smirk.

“There has to be something. Isn't there a type of face, or body that you like? Hair color, or eye color? Complexion? Do you like them tall, or short? Curvy, or skinny?”

The raven looked away from the other as he thought about that for a moment before reaching a conclusion. “Well, I kind of like your face.” He looked at the blond who was staring at him. “I guess that's what you meant by 'type'.” He smirked.

Naruto didn't know why he said the next set of words. It could be because of the compliment, or that the other just looked so damn gorgeous at that moment. Before he knew it the words were out, ones he couldn't take back.

“How about going out with me then?”

The blond received a look of pure surprise. He didn't get to hear what the other's answer was as a noise interrupted them. A man on a scooter drove up to them that seemed to definitely be the pizza delivery man the blond had been waiting for. He stood up and dusted off his pants before walking up to the guy.

“Are you Namikaze?” he asked the blond.

“Yes.” He reached over to take out his wallet from his back pocket when he noticed something was amiss. He felt around every pant and coat pocket only to realize he'd forgotten it in his bag that was still lying by his desk. He was about to open his mouth to apologize and tell the man he'd left it only to find the pizza delivery man no longer there. Instead, Sasuke stood there with the pizza box in his hands. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened. He smiled apologetically. “I'm sorry, I left my wallet in class. Tell me how much I owe you and I'll pay you back later.”

“It's fine,” said the raven before thrusting the pizza box at the blond who accepted it. “You should go now before the pizza gets cold.” And with that he turned to leave.

Naruto was too stunned to really register what had just happened but eventually began to make his way back to the classroom.

…

“Hey Naruto, do you want to drop by the cinema to see if they got any cool movies?” asked Kiba the minute he and Naruto were preparing to leave the classroom.

“Yeah, sure,” said Naruto a bit distracted.

“Are you okay?” asked the brunet. “You've been sort of out of it.”

“I just...” the blond began but couldn't really finish the sentence as he sighed.

“Come on,” said the brunet and patted the other's shoulder. “If something's eating you don't keep it in. I'm here, you know.”

The blond smiled, feeling grateful to have such a good friend.

“N- Namikaze.”

Naruto turned around at the new voice and saw Sasuke standing by the door frame. “Oh.” He suddenly remembered what had happened just a few hours ago. He quickly dug up his wallet from his bag and opened it. “I almost forgot to pay you. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

“Huh?” he looked up in complete surprise.

“You owe me nothing.”

The blond raised an eyebrow at that. “Don't be ridiculous.”

“I'm not.”

The blond wanted to keep going but felt that no words could change the other's mind.  _'He's more stubborn than me.'_

“I was wondering if we could go home together.”

Now that was really surprising. “Huh?”

“Ah. Maybe you have something on?”

“Well... Kind of...”

“I see.” The raven seemed completely unconcerned as he fished out his phone. “Do you have a cellphone?”

This was just getting more and more confusing. “Yes, what of it?”

“That's good. I was thinking we should exchange numbers and e-mail addresses.”

For some reason Naruto couldn't say no as he just went with it. He figured that perhaps Sasuke wanted to be friends with him and this was his odd little way of doing so.

“Is it alright if I call you Naruto?”

That was another surprise. “Sure, but why?” This was the perfect time to ask why he had so difficulty in pronouncing his last name.

“N- Namikaze is a name that's a bit difficult for me to say.”

_'No shit, you just proved that by stumbling on it again,'_ he thought while out loud he said,  “I don't mean to pry, but why is that?”

“Honestly? I was dumped by a woman whose first name just happens to be Nami.”

That was understandable. “Alright. You can call me Naruto, but only if I can call you Sasuke.”

“Of course.”

The two shortly parted ways after that. As Naruto was walking on his way home he wondered why Sasuke had behaved in such a manner. He could understand paying for the pizza since he couldn't at the time. He had been generous. But the other things made no sense. Not accepting the money he owed, exchanging contact information, and being asked to be called by his given name. It was all moving a bit too fast in his opinion. He wondered why the other had suddenly began to do all of this.

“ _How about going out with me then?”_

He stopped dead in his tracks. The blond turned around in the direction he'd come from. He wondered for a brief moment if the raven had taken his words seriously.

 


	2. Tuesday

It was dark and silent in the house. The residents were sound asleep in their bedrooms as the sun began to slowly rise on the horizon. A sudden noise broke the silence in one of the bedrooms. A tired groan came from the bed before a pale hand reached for the device that was making said noise. The moment the pale hand came in contact with the cellphone, the teenage boy who'd previously been sound asleep sat up in the bed to see who was calling him at this hour. Black eyes looked at the screen and the name practically glowered at him.

_Reisui Nami._

Before he could answer the ringing stopped. He sighed in something akin to relief. The name still looked up at him in a way that made his heart ache even to this day. He put the device aside and ran a hand through his raven hair as his mind wandered. Before he knew it he was thinking about the girl who'd dumped him.

Reisui Nami was a free spirited kind of girl. The kind that always did what she wanted. Whether it was before they'd dated, while dating, or even after they split up her attitude hadn't changed one bit.

The phone began to ring again and this time the boy answered.

“Hello?”

“ _Why didn't you pick up the first time?”_ asked an annoyed female voice.

“I was wondering why you would call me...” he said as he looked at the time. Six in the morning. Very early.

“ _Get yourself over here to Kusa, right now.”_

“No.”

“ _Why not?”_

“I was single yesterday so it was fine, but I'm not anymore today. I'm not going to meet with you alone.”

“ _Again?”_   There was a hint of a sigh in that one word. _“You'll just break up with them after a week anyway.”_

He was getting tired of this. “I'm hanging up.”

“ _What kind of person is it this time?”_

The raven wondered whether to answer or not but eventually said, “They're from the same school as me, also same year.”

“ _Are they cute?”_

The raven thought that over for a moment. “I wouldn't say cute. They're more... beautiful.”

“ _More beautiful than I am?”_

“I can't really compare the two of you to each other,” he said flatly.

He heard the other laugh.  _“That's what I like about you, Sasuke.”_   She sounded so sincere it actually hurt him a little, but he held his ground as usual.  _“Come out and play during the weekend, okay?”_

“Why don't you get back together with niisan already?” he asked tiredly as he rubbed the side of his head.

“ _I hate it when you say stuff like that. Bye!”_

Sasuke looked down at his phone and sighed.  _'One second it's 'like' and the other it's 'hate' with her. Can't she ever decide?'_ He shook his head getting rid of the thoughts.  _'Never mind. Don't think about her. There's more important things to think about.'_ His mind wandered to yesterday and the words that had been spoken by a particular blond.

“ _How about going out with me then?”_

It had surprised him a great deal. Not just because of the whole 'dating a guy' bit which was strange enough. He was also surprised the blond didn't have someone already. None of those things mattered now, however. The raven was going to carry on as he usually did. One week to determine his feelings. Seven days to see what's in his heart.

He picked up his phone again as he went through his contact list. He clicked a few buttons until he was on one particular name and sent a “good morning” to them. He flopped back onto the bed face first as he thought about what to do. A chiming sound broke through his train of thought as he picked up his phone again to read the message he'd been sent.

_**I would say 'good morning' back if it wasn't so damn early. I really hate you right now.** _

Sasuke was surprised. Of all the things he'd expected the other to answer with this was not one of them. When he saw the blond in archery he thought him to be pretty good-looking with an air of calmness surrounding him. It seemed that he was quite different outside of school. It was kind of... interesting.

He was about to write a reply when suddenly his phone began to ring. It was him. He immediately answered.

“Hello?”

“ _Are you an idiot?”_ said a very sleepy male voice. _“Hey, you're an idiot, right?”_

The raven smirked. “I don't know. Last time I checked I wasn't one.”

“ _Well, in my opinion you are for waking me up at this time.”_

He couldn't help but chuckle. “Sorry.”

“ _Don't laugh when you're apologizing!”_ the other exclaimed sounding irritated. _“Waking me up at this ungodly hour. I can't even get back to sleep. What now?”_ Before the raven could answer the blond added, _“Make it up to me.”_

Sasuke kept his smirk on. “Well, what do you think I should do?”

There was a pause.  _“I'm so pissed right now I could punch you in the face...”_

“Oh? Then how about I come over there so you can punch me?” This was getting really interesting and fun.

There was a silence. He frowned, wondering what happened.

“Are you still there Naruto?”

“ _Sasuke...”_

“Yes?”

“ _Make sure you come to practice today.”_

“You mean club practice?” He didn't get a verbal respond but he could practically feel the other nodding. “Why?”

“ _Because I'm going and you should go anyway. You're good at archery, you shouldn't let a talent like that go to waste.”_

The raven felt oddly happy about that. “Alright. I'll go.”

“ _Great. See you then!”_ And with that he hung up.

Sasuke looked down at his phone in thought. That had been strangely... nice. He knew now that the blond really wasn't what he'd expected him to be. It was an interesting change. He smirked before he got up to get ready for school.

_'This week will be very interesting.'_

…

Hands were held steady. A breath was taken. Eyes shone in the sunlight. Fingers let go as there was a swoosh of the wind before the arrow hit the target. Sasuke watched as Naruto turned around and smiled. The blonde's stance had been truly mesmerizing. He'd not seen anything that breathtaking in a long time. He clapped politely along with the other members before it was his turn.

He grabbed the bow and arrow as he faced the targets. He took a deep breath to relax his muscles before he began to put an arrow to the string and draw it back. He kept his stance and aimed before releasing the arrow. It hit the target right in the middle. Pride swelled up in him as he repeated the process a few more times. When he was done he turned to the others that started clapping. His eyes sought out blue which were shining as the owner smiled.

The raven had always thought the blond looked the most beautiful when he drew his bow. But as he sat there clapping with a smile plastered on his face he guessed he'd been wrong.

…

A voice resounded in the subway station telling the people to please stay away from the doors as they close. Sasuke watched the doors shut when the vehicle began to move.

“That's right,” began Naruto, catching the other's attention. “You were _late_ , but I guess you were still pretty good.”

“At least I showed up. I could've chosen not to.”

“If that was the case I would've dragged you to practice if I so had to.”

The raven raised an amusing eyebrow. “I would've liked to see you try.”

The blond smirked. “I'm a lot stronger than I look.”

They held each other's eyes for a moment before turning away, looking out the window. The silence didn't last for more than a few minutes though.

“Isn't your house at this stop?” asked the blond as he turned to look at the other.

“Yes.”

“Really?” The train shortly came to a stop the moment he asked that. He fully expected the other to get up and leave but it didn't seem like he was going to move. “How come you're still sitting here?”

“I've decided to tag along with you.”

“Why?”

“So I can be with you a bit longer.”

A silence followed that statement. Naruto hadn't expected that at all. Out of all the things that could've come out of the other's lips that one had not been on the list. He turned away from the other and looked down on his lap.

“So,” he began a bit hesitant. “Are we supposed to be _dating_ right now?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“I see...”

As Sasuke looked at the other he felt that there was something he was missing. The blond seemed uncertain. It was a bit strange considering the way he'd been acting previously. He'd been very sure of himself before. Confidence practically pouring from him. Now though, he seemed unsure of something. The raven wondered about what until he went through their conversation and found one possible reason.

_'No way... Could it be he-'_

A voice interrupted his train of thoughts. They'd arrived at Yuga.

Suddenly, Naruto stood up and glanced over at him, “Let's go.”

Confused, Sasuke stood up as well and followed the other out. “But this isn't the correct stop.”

The blond didn't say anything as he continued to walk and it took the raven some effort to be able to keep up with him. They didn't stop walking until sun was shining on them.

“Why are we here?” asked the raven after a moment.

The blond glanced over at him with a small smile. “Let's go on a date, Sasuke.”

He was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat. “Huh?”

“Because, it's already Tuesday. One week will go by in a flash. I have to use my time wisely.”

_'I knew it.'_ Sasuke couldn't help the wave of disappointment that washed over him. The other had probably been joking with him at the time. “Naruto, it's not like that.”

“Really? I thought a date was a standard part of your schedule.”

“Sorry to disappoint you but there is no standard.”

“That's good. Let's go eat then, I'm starving.”

The raven watched the other as he tried to think on what to do next. It seemed like the blond thought this to be a game when in reality it was not. He wondered if he could ignore that fact... No. He decided he couldn't. Even if he was to fall for this guy he was pretty sure that it wouldn't go well. He had to tell him now. Break up with him now.

“What's up with you?”

The raven looked up at the blond who was frowning at him. He'd probably been quiet for too long. “Naru-”

“Don't just stand around. Let's go.” And without warning the other boy reached over and grabbed his arm.

Sasuke didn't resist Naruto's grip as they passed by buildings and people. He guessed he had to put the words on hold for now.

…

“Don't you like ramen?”

The raven snapped out of his musings and looked at the blond. “Huh?”

“You've been really quiet today,” he said as he looked into the bowl of noodles and soup. “I hate that, okay? That you're actually unhappy about something, but you just keep quiet and go along with what I want.” He gave the other a pointed look.

Sasuke didn't know what to say for a moment. He was honestly a bit taken aback. “I wasn't thinking that,” he tried to assure the other. “I guess I'm just a bit troubled. Got a lot on my mind, you know?”

“Understandable. I at times have that too.”

“What could you possibly have on your mind?”

The blond grinned mischievously. “Wouldn't you like to know?”

The raven couldn't help but chuckle. He immediately stopped though when he realized what he was doing. Only moments earlier he'd been seconds away from ending it. Why was he letting it continue? Why couldn't he simply open his mouth and say the words?

“Anyway,” began Naruto. “If you don't feel like it, how about we forget it for today?”

“You don't like it when people just go along with you?”

“ _Exactly_. I hate it. It's very annoying when they do. Because, if we're not both enjoying ourselves, then what's the point?”

He had a point there. What was the point in continuing to hang out if only one was enjoying themselves? That made Sasuke wonder if he was. As he looked at the blond he decided that he was. If only in a really strange way. He turned to his own bowl of noodles as he began to eat and think about what to say next.

A few minutes later he had the answer. “So,” he began to catch the other's attention. “I was thinking about checking out if there are any new types of shoes.”

“Runners?”

“Yeah.”

The blond smiled. “Sure.”

As they checked out shoes at the store Sasuke began to think about Naruto as a person. Even though he knew little to nothing about the boy he found him very intriguing. From the calm person who draws a bow, to the ever-changing one that he's with now. It was strange but also nice. And even stranger, it was getting harder and harder to take his eyes off the other.

The last thing they decided to do was going to the cinema. Half an hour into the movie the raven felt something touch his shoulder. He glanced down only to see the blonde's spiky head. His eyes were closed and his breath even. Sound asleep. He smiled before carefully reaching over to take the other's drink that was on its way to spill all over the floor. The raven put the drinks aside before turning back to the other boy who still had his head resting on his shoulder. He forgot about the colors that flashed by in front of him as he rested his own head against his before closing his eyes. He'd forgotten what the movie had been about anyway.

 


	3. Wednesday

A voice resounded in the subway station telling people to please stay clear of the closing doors and not push your way into the cars. Naruto walked out of one of the cars with a huge yawn. He was extremely tired. He hadn't been sleeping that well last night. A buzzing in his pants made him stop briefly to pick up his phone and answer the call.

“Morning,” he said tiredly.

“ _You sound really sleepy,”_ said an amused male voice. _“Where are you right now?”_

“The station,” said the blond as another yawn escaped him.

“ _Which exit do you use?”_

“Why do you need to know that?”

“ _Tani exit and Uzushio exit?”_

He shook his head but stopped when he realized the other couldn't see him. “South. I'm taking a shortcut right now.”

“ _I had a feeling you would say that,”_ he said and the blond could feel the other smirking. _“I'm by the store. See you in a bit.”_

“Huh?” Before he could get anything else out the other hung up. He looked at his phone with a frown before slipping it back into his pocket.

A few moments later he found Sasuke. The guy was surrounded by a group of girls as he approached. When their eyes locked the raven waved.

“Morning,” he greeted everyone with a smile.

“Oh, so the person Sasuke-senpai was waiting for was Naruto-senpai?” said one of the girls in slight surprise.

The blond turned away from the girls and looked directly at the raven. “Good morning Sasuke.”

The other boy gave a half smile. “Morning.”

“This is unusual...” said another of the girls. “I thought Sasuke-senpai didn't show up much to club practice. Are you two perhaps good friends?”

“You could say that.” Naruto thought there was a lot of girls around the other. He wondered for a moment what would happen next week.

“Oh, I see! Come to think of it...” the girl who'd previously spoken turned to the raven. “Who is your girlfriend _this_ week?”

Sasuke only smirked before looking at the blond. The girls followed his gaze and seemed to realize it themselves. They laughed good naturally, thinking this must be a joke of some sorts.

“Naruto-senpai? Really?” said one of the girls.

“Yes, really.” The raven looked at the girls with a serious expression, no hint of a joke.

They either didn't see that he was being serious, or tried to ignore it. The blond noticed it though and he was surprised. He thought the raven wouldn't have liked sharing who he was currently dating. Feeling uncomfortable saying that it was a guy. Seems like he was wrong.

“Naruto-senpai, is Sasuke-senpai telling the truth? Are you two dating?” asked one of the girls.

He smiled. “It's true.”

“No way!” exclaimed the group simultaneously, their tones clearly telling the two boys they still didn't believe it.

“But the two of you do suit each other.”

“It's rare though. Sasuke-senpai never really tells anyone who he's dating.”

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. The other wasn't looking at him though, he was looking at the girls. _'Never?_ _Then why tell them he's together with me?'_ It was confusing. He wanted to ask the raven and yet he didn't. He didn't linger on it for long though as he just kept on smiling.

…

It was during literature when Naruto thought about the many things you do when going out with someone. They had sent each other good morning texts as well as night ones, they've eaten together, shopped, seen a movie, and now Sasuke's walking him to school. What other things were there to do? If they were a normal couple then there would be such things as holding hands and kissing, right? He wondered for a moment how far the raven goes on his dates. He sighed and let his eyes wander over the classroom. His gaze suddenly fell upon Sakura and he got an idea. After the lesson ended he immediately walked up to the pinkette.

“Sakura-chan,” he began to catch her attention. “May I ask you a question?”

The pinkette looked the blond up and down in suspicion with a raised eyebrow. “What is it?” she eventually asked.

“Have you done _it_ with Sasuke?”

He'd expected the punch but had not expected it to hurt as much as it did. He rubbed at his already reddened cheek as he looked back at the pinkette who looked murderous.

“This is why girls always feel let down by you!” she exclaimed while glaring at him. “Don't you feel like you're a waste of your pretty face?”

Naruto simply raised his eyebrow and Sakura sighed.

“Why did you ask that anyway?”

“Um.” This was bad. He'd been so focused on wanting to _know_ that he hadn't thought about a good cover up story. “It's just... Lately, I've been getting along pretty well with him. I was just curious I guess.”

The sharp look the pinkette gave him made him almost squirm. Almost.

“Sasuke-kun won't touch you unless it's absolutely necessary. Whether it's putting an arm around your shoulders, or simply holding your hand. I've heard some rumors about girls trying to force themselves on him, but Sasuke-kun never gives in to them.”

The blond hummed thoughtfully. He let his mind wander off. He wondered what it would be like to touch and kiss the raven. The moment those thoughts traveled through to where the realization part kicked in he blushed a bright red and tried very hard to think about something else.

“Speaking of the devil,” he heard Sakura say and looked back at her. He followed her gaze to where Sasuke stood by the door frame. “You two really seem to be good friends. Even so, why would he come by here every day?”

“He's a strange one,” he said simply with a shrug before he went to greet the guy.

…

“Are you planning on dominating all my free time today?” asked Naruto before taking another sip of the soda the raven had bought him.

“Yes. Is it a bother?” asked Sasuke as he looked at the other.

The blond shook his head. “No. If I truly didn't like it I would say so.”

“I see. That's good.”

“It's strange though.”

“What is?”

“Well, you've been paying for my food all of yesterday and today. This too,” he said and held up the can.

“It's nothing really. It's only natural to treat the one you're dating.”

“But to do it two days in a row? I'm not a girl, you know.”

“I never said you were.” He looked amused.

“Anyway, let me treat you someday?”

“If it'll make you happy. Just remember to bring your wallet.”

“Hey! That was one time!”

Sasuke chuckled and it didn't take long for Naruto to join him. The blond shook his head and looked down at the many girls that were walking around or talking with each other.

“There seems to be more girlish screams since I started hanging out with you.”

“You don't like girls?”

“It's not that I don't like them. It's just... If there was even one person among them who could love everything about me. I think that would be enough.”

“Is that right?” asked the raven thoughtfully. “I think there should be a lot of people like that.”

“That's rich coming from you.”

“Maybe.” Sasuke smiled, he seemed to be doing that more often now. “Naruto. After school, let's-”

“Go to club practice.”

He was a bit annoyed to having been cut off. “What about you? Aren't you going to go?”

“I don't really feel like it.”

“Then what makes you think I will?”

Naruto looked up at him with a calm expression. “Because I asked you to.”

The raven wanted to tell him no but the words seemed stuck in his throat. And as he continued to look at the other, he wondered why he was even trying to argue.

He sighed. “Alright. I'll go.”

The blond smiled. “Great. Also, I'll wait for you. So call me when you're done. But if I get too impatient I might leave first.”

“You won't. I can guarantee that.”

_'Arrogant bastard,'_ thought the blond with a smile. He looked at the raven and studied his face. He had eyes as dark as coal and skin almost as pale as snow. His hair was also dark and was styled a certain way that the blond wondered how much gel the other used to get it just right. Before he could think straight on what he was doing he'd reached over to touch the other's hair. The moment his fingers brushed against a few strands of hair he was surprised to find them soft and not sticky or greasy. The tip of his fingers accidentally brushed against the raven's skin who turned towards him in surprise.

“Um,” began Naruto. He was at a loss on what to say. His heart was beating rapidly and he could feel heat rise to his cheeks. “I-”

A loud chiming sound broke the moment. The boys jumped, both having been startled by the noise. The blond suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but curse at his own stupidity.

The raven immediately turned to the other. “What's wrong?”

“I forgot I have to change classrooms for the next period.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I gotta go,” he said before hurrying to the door. He didn't get very far as Kiba was standing there with a textbook in his hands. He halted and looked at the book as he realized it was his. Without warning he wrapped his arms around the brunet, hugging him tightly. “I love you Kiba!”

“Yeah, yeah,” said the brunet as he tried and failed to get the other off of him.

“Naruto.”

The blond let go off the brunet and turned back to the raven.

“That's cheating, you know.”

“Cheating?” asked a confused Kiba.

Naruto thought about it for a moment. “I guess it is in a way. I won't do any of that, don't worry.”

“You don't sound very convincing,” said the brunet. He was wondering what was going on but figured that if he asked he wouldn't get a straight answer.

…

Couples. Men and women. Girls and boys. They were walking around talking, holding hands and kissing. The blond felt thoroughly uncomfortable as he sat on the bench looking at all the couples showing off. He could've sworn they were doing it on purpose. Though, he guessed he was the idiot here for coming to a place like this alone. He sighed before looking to his side where Sasuke stood.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“I just arrived.”

“How did it go? Did you get any praise?”

“Some and a bit of teasing.”

“That's because you're not serious about it.”

“Oh? And I guess you are?”

“I'm there a lot more often than you.”

Sasuke knew he couldn't argue with that. The two lapsed into silence as they began to walk around the park. It didn't take long for them to come to a place with a great view of the sunset. They stopped by the railing as both looked over the view.

“It's been a while since I've come here,” said Naruto suddenly. “It's the same as usual. Annoying couples everywhere...” he trailed off before a thought struck him. “Oh!” He turned to the raven. “We're one too.”

“Yeah.”

He smiled. “That's right.” He was quiet for a moment as he thought what to say. “Don't you think... you should come here at least once every week?”

The smile the raven had been sporting instantly dropped. The blond felt bad and wanted to apologize but only turned away to look back at the sunset.

“I guess some people do like coming to places like these. But there are also people who don't.”

Sasuke's words were correct but Naruto's eyes were currently looking at a couple kissing just behind the other's shoulder. He wanted to do that. Well, under normal circumstances with the type of atmosphere it was and all... he probably would kiss, right?

“ _Sasuke-kun won't touch you unless it's absolutely necessary. Whether it's putting an arm around your shoulders, or simply holding your hand.”_

He really was a good-looking guy. His skin seemed to shine in the last bits of sunlight. Suddenly, the raven turned to look at him and the blond felt something. He couldn't quite describe it but it kind of felt like a pull. A want to get closer. Experimentally, he closed his eyes to see what the other's reaction would be. He felt a sudden shift in the air and opened one eye for a peek. He was surprised to find the raven already so close with his own eyes closed and a hand making its way to his hair. He shut his eye as he felt something warm and soft press against his lips.

 


	4. Thursday

Lips touched onto something soft and warm. The pale hand that was tangled into the other's hair slowly fell to the side as Sasuke pulled away. Astonished blue eyes looked up as Naruto touched his lips that were still tinging from the kiss. The raven watched the other's expression in wonder.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

The blond hesitated for a moment before he said, “No, never mind.”

Sasuke woke up. He wondered for a moment why he was lying in bed before everything washed over him. He groaned and turned on his side, he didn't want to get up. Eventually he did as he made his way to the bathroom for a wash up.

“I look terrible,” he said to his reflection. There were bags under his eyes and his hair was more untidy than usual. He quickly fixed his hair using a comb but the bags under his eyes he couldn't do much about.

He walked out of the bathroom a few moments later to dress for school. As he put his clothes on his mind wandered to what had occurred yesterday. He wondered why the blond had reacted the way he had. Hadn't he been wanting to be kissed? And an even more important question, why had Sasuke kissed him? It wasn't really in his nature to suddenly kiss someone. And if the person wanted to kiss him he didn't mind when they went for it. But this was the first time in a long time that he had made the first move. It could've been because of the atmosphere they'd been in, or the lovely view, but he knew at the back of his head that that was just a bunch of excuses.

…

Sasuke was standing at his usual spot by the subway station. He was wondering how he should face the other. Should he act as he usually did, or tune some of it down? Before he could come to a decision a voice from behind startled him out of his thoughts. He turned and saw the person he'd been waiting for standing there with his usual smile plastered on his face.

“Morning,” he said cheerfully. He seemed to stop though as he truly looked at the other's face. “Whoa. Those are some bags under your eyes. What did you do yesterday?”

“I couldn't sleep.” The raven shrugged nonchalantly.

The blond looked at the other for a moment. “You're a bit strange today. What's up?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar. You were acting pretty normal yesterday when you called me, so why are you so weird now? I don't get you.” He shook his head with a sigh. “Oh, and by the way, you better not try anything like a morning kiss or something. Yesterday was a mere accident. It's your fault it happened in the first place.”

Sasuke took a moment before he began to chuckle. “It wasn't an accident, it was a trap.”

“Don't turn this on me now…” Naruto grumbled.

A few hours later Sasuke and Naruto went to the pool during recess.

“Damn I'm sleepy...” said the blond with a yawn as he stretched his arms.

“Why don't you take a nap then?” suggested the raven. “There's still some time before the next period.”

“Would you be okay with it? I mean, I fell asleep last time during the movie too.”

“I don't really mind.”

“Huh.” The blond looked at the raven for a moment. “In that case, lend me your lap.”

“What?”

“I'm going to use it as a pillow,” said the other as if it were obvious.

“You're serious,” said the raven slowly.

“I wouldn't joke about something like that. Come on, it'll only be for a little while.”

Before Sasuke could reply Naruto's head was leaning on his thigh. It was a bit strange but not completely uncomfortable. He watched the other boy as he closed his eyes and let his body relax. The raven had an odd urge to run his fingers through the other's hair but didn't get the chance as his eyes snapped open.

“I just remembered... there's a girl in my class that you've dated. Haruno Sakura? Do you remember her?”

An image of a girl with pink hair flashed in the raven's mind. “Yes.”

“I thought so. Sakura-chan has a strong personality. She's fun to have as a friend, isn't she?” Before the other could answer he continued, “Do you still see her?”

Sasuke shook his head. “I don't stay in contact with anyone I've dated.”

Naruto was surprised at this. He lifted his head off the other's lap as he stared at him. “But, don't some of them call you?”

“I don't know.” He shrugged. “I don't answer calls from unknown numbers.”

“You... delete their numbers?” He received a nod. “Mail addresses too?”

Sasuke looked at Naruto in silence. His earlier enthusiasms was gone, replaced by a gloomier sort of air. He didn't like it and wished they could just drop the subject.

“Isn't that cold?” asked the blond in a mere whisper, but it was loud enough for the other to hear him.

“Well,” began the raven as he thought about how to explain the reason behind his choices without upsetting the other more. “Could you stand it if the person you were dating kept getting calls from someone you didn't know?”

“Um, well, I guess that makes sense.”

They were quiet for a moment until the blond realized something.

“So, that means that next week you'll delete my number too.”

Sasuke didn't know how to react to that. He looked at Naruto and wanted to shake his head but stopped himself just in time. A question rose to his head. Why didn't he want to delete the other's number? He didn't need to wonder for long though as he realized something.

_'That's right, I-'_

A buzzing sound in his pocket snapped him back to reality. He looked up at the blond and gave him an apologetic look. He then stood up and turned away from the other before picking up the phone.

“Hello-”

“ _You know what? Itachi's such a jerk!”_ said a loud, angry female voice.

“What happened?” he asked in a calm tone.

“ _I ended up calling him but he's still mad! What do you think about that?”_

“Did you apologize to him properly?”

“ _Why should I have to apologize?! Are you on his side too?!”_

“It has nothing to do with sides. The fact remains that you cheated on him Nami.”

“ _That's not my fault!”_

The raven inwardly sighed. He was tired of getting dragged into something that wasn't really any of his business. “Look Nami, I'm sorry but I'm-”

A tan hand grabbed the cellphone and Sasuke turned to the person holding it. Naruto pressed a button, probably ending the call. He looked tense. His eyes had a hard edge to them and his back was straight.

“Nami...” the blond said quietly before looking up at the raven. He threw the phone at the other who caught it with ease. “So, you can just delete the numbers of all the girls that like you like it's nothing, but you still have the number of that one girl _you_ like? That's not fair, is it?”

The raven could've asked anything in that situation, but what he went for was probably the most obvious one. “Why are you angry?”

“Why?” Naruto seemed surprised. He looked a bit hesitant before facing the other with intense blue eyes. “ _I'm_ the one who is dating _you_ right now. Of course I'm angry.” And with that he turned and left.

Sasuke watched the other walk away but decided not to go after him. He sighed and sat back down before picking up the phone and dialing Nami. He heard sniffs on the other side and sighed again.

“Are you crying?” he asked. He got no answer so he decided to continue. “Why don't you just forgive him? He's only ever cheated on you once, and that was a year ago. Haven't you had your revenge?”

“ _It doesn't have anything to do with how many times. Whether it was once or ten times, it's all the same.”_

The raven wouldn't really know since he's never been cheated on but always tried to understand. “I guess it is hard,” he said and leaned back against the wall. “It's hard because you love my brother more than anyone. I kind of envy him because he has such an amazing person like you.”

“ _Thanks.”_ There was a silence as the sniffing began to fade away. _“Hey, I love you Sasuke.”_

Those words always made the raven's heart skip a beat, but surprisingly they didn't have the same effect now. He just felt strange hearing them again.

“I know. I do too.”

…

It wasn't until after school that Sasuke found Naruto again. He was standing by the gates with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He looked better. He seemed more relaxed now which was good.

“Hey,” he greeted the other.

The blond looked up and smiled at him. “Hey,” he greeted back. “Should we go?”

The raven nodded and they began their walk. They didn't speak the first few minutes. Sasuke didn't know if he should apologize for what had happened or not. He didn't need to though as Naruto began to speak.

“Look, I'm sorry about what happened at lunch,” he said casually. “I thought about it and realized that I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I don't even remember what I was angry about.”

The raven chuckled. “There's no need to apologize.” The blond looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he couldn't help but smirk. Without warning he leaned in and whispered, “I kind of liked seeing you angry.”

The blond didn't need a mirror to know that he was blushing. He pushed the other away. “Shut up.”

Sasuke chuckled and it didn't take long for Naruto to forget his embarrassment as he joined in.

* * *

In a café there sat a woman by a table looking at her cellphone that was resting on the wooden surface. She ran a finger over the device as she went over the conversation she'd had earlier.

“ _I know. I do too. But, I'm not going to answer your calls anymore Nami. Just like how you put my brother first, I also have found someone more important than you. Someone I care about more than I thought I could ever care about anyone.”_

She suddenly folded her arms on the table and pouted. “What's with that attitude?”

“Nami.”

The woman looked up and into a pair of black eyes. Tears formed in her eyes but she smiled at the sight of the man.

“Itachi...”

* * *

“I feel so tired,” said Naruto to no one in particular. He'd decided to take a bath to relax his aching muscles before going to bed. He didn't quite know why he was tired though. Maybe it was because of the tantrum he'd thrown earlier?

“Naruto!” called a female voice from behind the door. “A friend from the archery club called. Are you going to answer it?”

“Who is it?” he asked.

There was a small pause before he got an answer, “Uchiha Sasuke?”

“Ah. Okay. Can you bring the receiver in here?” he asked. “Please?”

There was a pause before he heard the shuffling of feet and eventually the door opening. A woman with long red hair walked into the bathroom with a phone in her hand. “You better not drop it,” she warned him before handing the device over to him.

He smiled. “I won't, promise.” He waited for his mother to leave before answering the call. “Are you there Sasuke?”

“ _I'm still here.”_ Like usual, he could feel the other smirking. _“Was that your mother?”_

“Yeah. Sorry it took some time for me to answer.”

“ _It's fine. So, what's up?”_

“Nothing much. Just having a bath right now.”

The other end went dead silent. Naruto wondered for a moment if the other hung up.

“Sasuke? Are you still there?”

“ _...Still here.”_

The blond was confused now. The raven's voice sounded a bit strained. Then it hit him on what the other might be thinking of and a wolfish grin took over his earlier confusion.

“Sasuke, are you perhaps imagining me naked?”

There was a silence that said more than a verbal response ever could.

“You are! I didn't know you were such a pervert, I'm honestly surprised.”

“ _Who would want to imagine you naked?”_

His grin only increased. “Apparently you.”

He could feel the other rolling his eyes.  _“This is getting ridiculous. I'm hanging up.”_

“Alright. See you tomorrow then.” And with that the call ended and Naruto burst out laughing.

 


	5. Friday

The subway station was as busy as ever. Naruto yawned tiredly, he hadn't had much sleep because he'd been thinking about Sasuke. It was a bit difficult to fall asleep when thinking about the raven imagining him nude. It was fun though and now he had infinite teasing material. Besides that, he'd wondered what the other had been thinking about yesterday morning. He'd seemed rather troubled just standing there with his head down. And when he'd come up to him, he'd seemed distant. Like he was hiding something.

“Naruto.”

 _'Oh well, no use worrying about that_. _'_

He smiled and walked up to Sasuke only to come to an abrupt stop. There were a few girls standing around the raven again. It made the blond a bit annoyed to see them with him every morning. Though as he looked he noticed that the group of girls were a different one from yesterday. That didn't make him feel any better though.

“Is something wrong?”

The blond snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the raven. “No.” He then turned to the girls. “Good morning.”

The girls greeted him in sync. He suddenly really wanted to get out of here. He threw a look at the other boy. He understood immediately and told the girls that he needed to speak with the blond alone. The girls pouted but didn't complain much as they went on their way, leaving the two boys alone.

“Thank you,” said the Naruto.

“You're welcome.”

The two then began to make their way to school.

…

Naruto was sitting in class when a thought about what could be bothering the raven came up. Nami. The girl that had dumped him. The girl that had called him. The girl that he still liked.

Before the blond knew it he'd drawn a heart in his textbook. He immediately felt stupid as he picked up the eraser and got rid off the drawing. He rested his head in his hands with a tired sigh. Why did things have to be so complicated?

“Yo, Naruto!”

Said blond lifted his head and looked over his shoulder where Kiba stood. His expression must have not been a good one because the brunet raised an eyebrow in question.

“What's with that face?” he asked.

“Me?” he asked innocently.

The brunet rolled his eyes. “Who else? You're the only one here.”

“It's nothing important,” he said with a shrug, hoping that the other would drop it.

Thankfully, he did. “Well, if you're feeling down I have something that might brighten your mood.”

“For some strange reason I doubt it...”

“Are you free next weekend?”

“Huh?” Naruto thought that over for a moment. “I guess I am, what of it?”

“Well,” began Kiba as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. “When I helped my sister carry her luggage she gave me this.” He thrust the piece of paper at him. “And I'm giving it to you.”

The blond accepted it and read whatever was on it. His eyes lit up in interest. “A special movie preview pass for two?”

“Yeah. It's only valid for that time period, but you can ask whoever you want to go with you.”

“You're seriously giving me this?” he asked. “For free?”

“Yeah.”

Naruto smiled brightly. “Thank you.”

Kiba looked at his friend for a moment before he asked, “Do you have a girlfriend, now?”

The question caught the blond off guard as he looked up at his friend. He shook his head. He wasn't lying since Sasuke wasn't his 'girlfriend' exactly. He figured if he referred to raven as such then he would get offended. The blond knew he would.

“Really? That's strange.”

“Why do you ask?”

“I just had a feeling, how do I put this? It feels like you already have someone you want to invite.”

The blond blushed a little and avoided the other's gaze.

“Oh! I was right then?”

He didn't answer as he turned to look out the window.

…

“You've been quiet for a while,” said Sasuke. “Is something on your mind?”

Naruto looked up at him and wondered if he should share whatever had been bothering him. In the end he decided it couldn't hurt. He fished out the ticket Kiba had given him and gave it to the raven.

“What's this?”

“It's a pass for a movie preview,” he said. “Wanna go?”

“Depends. When is it?” The other didn't need to tell him as he read the date. “Next weekend?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Before Sasuke could answer the bell rang.

“I'll see you later,” said the raven before he gave back the ticket and left.

Naruto watched him go and wondered what had gotten into him.

“What was that?”

He practically jumped out of his skin before turning around to face whoever had startled him. Sakura stood there with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised in question.

“That didn't look like a normal conversation between two friends.”

“Really? And I suppose you know how one should look like?”

“Well, I know that if you're really good friends then there shouldn't be a need for hesitation.”

“I wasn't hesitating.”

“I wasn't talking about you!” exclaimed the pinkette. “Sasuke-kun hesitated.” She looked at where the raven had disappeared from. “I wonder why he did that.”

“Who knows?” said the blond as he stretched his arms. “Anyway, I'm going to class. You coming?”

The pinkette snorted. “You don't have to ask.”

As they walked the blond got an idea.

…

“Here.”

Sasuke accepted the movie preview pass that the other had earlier showed him. He was confused and looked up at Naruto for an explanation.

“I'm giving it to you,” he explained before turning around as he went down the stairs. “You can go with the person you're dating next week.”

“What?” The raven frowned.

“Unless... you plan on inviting Nami?”

There was a silence. Naruto frowned before turning around to look at the other. Sasuke was just standing there with a shadowy look on his face.

He hesitated his next words but they eventually got out. “You still like her, don't you? No matter what, you won't give up, right?” He tried his best to smile but it seemed to only hurt his face so he stopped.

“Why?” asked the raven in a whisper. “Why must you say those kinds of things?”

The blond couldn't answer as he continued to stare at the other.

“Yesterday, when you got mad at me, and said you were dating me right now. I actually felt sort of... happy.”

Naruto felt his breath catch in his throat. He didn't quite understand what the other had meant by what he'd said but for some reason that did not matter. He also had a sudden urge to walk up to him and hold him close. Close enough to be able to hear his heartbeat and feel his breath on his skin.

“Why must it be so difficult?” asked Sasuke with a sigh as he closed the distance between them. “Liking someone... is really just too complicated.”

The blond felt his heart skip a beat but pushed whatever feeling that was trying to resurface. The raven wasn't talking about him. That was just silly.

“Maybe you don't have any common sense?” he asked.

The raven scoffed. “No offense, but I think between the two of us you are the one who has none.”

The blond lightly punched him in the arm. “Shut up.”

“By the way, does people often say that you're really slow?”

“Eh? How did you know?”

Instead of answering Sasuke walked past Naruto. “Just by looking at your face people think that you're a very beautiful and calm person. In truth however, you're very reckless and thoughtless. You say whatever comes to mind and always do rash things without thinking.”

The more the raven talked the sadder the blond got. He knew he wasn't perfect. No one was. But to hear the same thing that he'd been told countless times by this person felt like a stab through the heart. He wondered why it hurt him so much. Wondered why this guy's words hurt more than any of Sakura's meanest punches did.

“Furthermore, Naruto is very straightforward, and tends to move his mouth even before he begins to think. And because you're always doing things without thinking, you're very forgetful. I think Naruto's personality is...”

“ _Very disappointing.”_

“Very likable.”

* * *

 

There was a silence. Sasuke waited with bated breath for the other's reaction. Eventually the blond turned to him, wearing the most blissful expression he'd ever seen on the other's face.

“Thank you.”

The raven was a bit confused. Who was he thanking? What was he thinking right now? He was just about to ask when the other began to speak.

“I... I'm glad.”

“Okay. Why?”

“Every single time they realized what I was really like, I'd know it was over. The girls would always walk away with a disappointed look. And my friends can't take it either. They keep saying that I'm a waste of a pretty face.” The blond ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the raven with bright eyes. “This is the first time I've been told that I'm okay just the way I am. So, thank you.”

The raven sighed. “You're as slow as ever.”

“N- Naruto-kun!”

The two boys turned to the new voice only to see a girl with long dark blue hair standing there. She seemed a bit out of breath and nervous.

“U- Um, could I... have a word with you?”

“Eh?” The blond glanced over at the raven, wondering what to do. He eventually decided to go along with the girl. He turned to the raven. “Why don't you go on without me first?”

“I'll wait for you,” said the other without hesitation. “I'll wait for you right here.”

The other nodded. “I'll be right back.” He then turned and went with the girl.

Sasuke watched them go and felt jealousy creep up his spine.

* * *

 

_'What kind of expression was that?'_

The raven had looked at him with such intense eyes. It had been a bit difficult to leave him. He should hurry back after he was done. He turned to the girl who was twiddling her fingers and looking down at the ground. Her body twitched every once in a while as she stumbled on her words. Eventually, Naruto decided to help her out so she wouldn't embarrass herself too much.

“Hey, what's your name?”

“H- Hyuga Hinata.”

“Well then, Hinata-chan, which part of me do you like?”

“Eh?!” It took a while for the shock to wear off so she could answer. “W- Well, I think you're really beautiful, a- and tall. You give off this air of perfection, and I really l- like it. I think you're my ideal person.”

The blond didn't have to think about it as he smiled. “Thank you. That's very nice of you to say. But, I think I'll disappoint you.”

“How can that be?” Hinata was confused.

Naruto didn't answer the question and said instead what he'd wanted to say in the beginning. “I'm sorry, but right now I'm already seeing someone.”

“Oh.” Her face fell but that didn't stop her from curiously asking, “What kind of person are they?”

The blond smiled mischievously. “That's for me to know and you to wonder.” He could tell the girl was surprised by his choice of words, but at the moment he couldn't care less. “Anyway, the person I'm seeing right now says that I'm okay just the way I am.”

“I see. Th- that's nice.”

“Yeah, it is.”

With a few more exchanged words the two parted ways. Hinata was to go home and Naruto back to Sasuke. He suddenly had an idea and couldn't help but grin as he sped up. It didn't take long for him to reach the raven. As he approached he noticed he looked a bit tense. _'_ _Well, that will quickly change.'_

“So,” he said the minute he was right beside the other. “Where is your house?”

Sasuke looked up at him in surprise. “Why do you want to know?”

“Well, you're always the one to walk me home.”

“I do that because I want to.”

“Yeah, and now I want to.”

He smiled. “Alright, let's go.”

…

Whatever Naruto had expected, it had not been this. This big gate and mansion-like house had not been on the list of houses he'd expected to see, much less soon be in. He felt nervous and kept on twitching beside Sasuke as he talked to someone using the intercom by the gate. In just a matter of moments did the doors swing open. The raven took a few steps forward but stopped when he noticed a certain someone wasn't following. The blond was still standing in front of the gates looking kind of terrified.

“Is something wrong?” he asked with a smirk.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the other. “Eh, um, well.” He swallowed thickly, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“Don't tell me you're scared?” the raven sounded amused.

The other scowled. “Of course not!”

“Then come over here,” he said and held out his hand to the other.

There was a beat of silence before the began to slowly make his way over to the raven. He didn't take the presented hand even though his fingers itched for it. The other boy didn't comment, feeling satisfied as they began to make their way up to the front door. A man stood by the doors when they arrived.

“Welcome home,” he said with a bow.

“I'm home.”

Naruto wondered for a moment if this was truly reality. It felt more like an opening to a drama. The doors shortly swung open and they were just about to go in when another voice interrupted them. Hurried footsteps resounded on the floor before a woman stood in the boys' line of vision. Sasuke felt dread while the blond wondered who she could be. She looked very pretty with her long silvery hair and light blue eyes.

“Such a pretty kid!”

The blond didn't quite know how to feel like being called that so he didn't do or say anything as he watched the smiling woman.

“I really love faces like his!” she exclaimed with a bright smile. “How old are you? What's your name?”

Naruto was too speechless to answer any of her questions. Thankfully, Sasuke was there to save him.

“Nami,” he put a hand on the woman's shoulder. “Stop pestering Naruto.”

The blond stopped at that. _'Nami.'_

“Isn't it fine?” asked the silver-haired woman. “So, you're called Naruto?”

Suddenly a wave of dislike – no – hatred washed over him. He didn't know why, but all of a sudden he couldn't stand seeing her face.

“Such beautiful skin.” A pale hand reached over to touch the tan skin but was grabbed by the person standing behind her.

“Stop screwing around,” said Sasuke seriously. “I'll get mad.”

_'He likes her so much that he won't let her touch me?'_

Naruto felt his blood boil as he clenched his hands into fists.

While the blond was trying his best not to blow up then and there Nami had figured out what was supposedly going on.

“Don't tell me... Is he the one you're seeing?” she asked the raven while pointing at the blond.

The other let go off the silver-haired woman's wrist. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

“The one you said was beautiful.” The woman was in a state of pure surprise as she looked at the teenage boy she thought she knew. “The one you like more than-”

Before she could complete her sentence her mouth was covered by a pale hand. The action did nothing to help the blond as he finally couldn't take it anymore.

“What the hell is this?!” he yelled. Two pairs of eyes turned to him. His gaze first fell on Nami but then quickly turned away, unable to look her directly in the eye. His gaze then fell on Sasuke and then where his hands were grabbing and he suddenly felt stupid for coming here. “Damn it.” Without warning he turned and ran.

…

Naruto didn't know for how long he ran. He just knew he needed to get away. Far away. All of a sudden there was a call of his name. He quickly glanced over his shoulder where Sasuke was slowly gaining on him.

“Don't come after me!” he yelled before picking up the speed.

A few minutes later he was sitting by the stairs panting heavily. He heard footsteps approaching him and didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

“Didn't I tell you not to come after me?”

“You did. But you forget that I don't always listen to you.”

The blond looked up to glare at the other.

The raven was surprised to see that look and took a step forward. “What's wrong Naru-”

“Shut up!”

Sasuke shut his mouth with a snap.

Naruto turned away and slowly stood up. “Go back...”

“Just tell me what you're angry at.”

_'At what...'_

He turned back to look at the other boy.

_'At what...'_

He lifted his gaze to lock eyes with the raven's. He glanced away, unable to hold eye contact.

_'Sakura said that seven days with you was like a dream. But to me, this one week is...'_

Without thinking he began to back away and seemed to forget there were stairs behind him. He felt himself fall backwards but a hand swiftly grabbed his wrist and he was yanked forward. He didn't know what had quite happened.

One moment he was falling and in the next he was practically sitting on the raven's lap. His head was resting on the other's chest while his right hand was being held. He felt his face flush as his heartbeat picked up.

“Are you okay?”

 _'I'm not okay.'_   But instead of saying that he asked, “What day is it today?”

“What?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Friday.”

Naruto closed his eyes. _'Just two more days.'_

 


	6. Saturday

Sasuke let out a sigh as he began to make his way towards the gates. He fished out his phone and began to go through his contact list, looking for a specific name. A tap on the shoulder interrupted him and he turned only to find one of the members from archery standing there. She was a third year named was Shitan Tamaki.

“Good work today, Sasuke-kun,” she said with a smile as she brushed parts of her long brown hair away from her face. “I'm surprised you've been showing up at practice recently. What's up?”

“Nothing much,” he said with a shrug. “And I've only showed up because a certain someone has asked me to.”

“Really? Who?” Before he could answer she brushed it off. “Well, never mind about that. Hey, do you want to go somewhere for lunch together?”

“I'm sorry, but I'm already meeting someone.”

It didn't take long for the brunette to figure out who the raven might be meeting.“Ah! Could it be the rumored weekly girlfriend?”

Sasuke immediately felt his heart tighten at that. _'Weekly is a bit...'_ He couldn't finish the thought.

Tamaki took the other's silence as a 'yes' as she smiled. “I see! So if I wait until the day after tomorrow, it'll be fine, right?”

The raven didn't answer as he looked off into the distance. The brunette sensed that something was a bit off with the other. He seemed really distant now. Was it something she said?

Sasuke eventually snapped out of his thoughts and turned back to Tamaki. “Is it alright if I make a phone call?”

“O- Of course!”

The raven dialed the right person as he started walking again. It didn't take long for the one on the other side to pick up.

“ _Practice must be over since you're calling me.”_

A smile immediately took over his earlier sour face. “Yeah, it is.”

“ _Great. I'm by the gates, see you in a bit.”_ And with that the call ended.

Sasuke looked at his phone in surprise. He was by the gates? Without thinking much about it he picked up the pace until he reached the gates. Sure enough, Naruto was standing there with his usual smile wearing casual clothing. He slowed down to a walk as he took a moment to appreciate how the other looked. He had never seen the blond in anything other than the standard school uniform. It was kind of nice to see him in something else.

“How long have you been standing here?” he asked as he came to a stop in front of the other boy.

“Not too long. A few minutes maybe,” he said with a shrug. “I kinda got bored at waiting at home so I went for a walk. Before I knew it I was here.”

Sasuke smiled at that. His smile quickly disappeared though as his mind went to yesterday. Naruto had been acting strange ever since he'd saved him from having his skull cracked open. He had constantly tried to assure Sasuke that he was fine but he knew better. The raven didn't think they would meet up today until the blond had texted him that morning asking if they could.

“Oh!” The two boys turned to the voice only to see Tamaki standing there. “So you were meeting Naruto-kun? In that case, forget what I said earlier.” She turned from the raven and to the blond. “Naruto-kun! If you're at school then please drop by the dojo, even for a little bit!”

The other boy smiled apologetically. “Sorry, but I just didn't feel like it today. And it doesn't matter if I am there or not.”

“Nonsense! It does matter! Because when Naruto-kun is there, everyone gets more motivated.”

“Really? Well, if you put it like that then I might drop by tomorrow.”

“Really?!” The brunette's eyes brightened. “You have to then!”

“Alright.”

As Naruto and Tamaki continued to talk Sasuke watched the two in silence. His eyes narrowed every time the brunette would pat the blonde's shoulder, or lean in a bit too close. He thought they were being a bit too touchy-feely. He didn't like it and wished she would just leave.

All of a sudden the blond glanced up at him. Their eyes locked and the raven huffed out a breath before looking away. He didn't need to look back to know that the other was staring at him, probably in surprise.

“Huh? Naruto-senpai?”

The three turned their heads to where the voice had come from only to see a group of both male and female students. All of them were from the archery club.

“Good work,” said Naruto.

“Good work!” exclaimed the others which made the blond only chuckle.

“I didn't even do anything.”

“Hey, senpai,” said one of the girls. “Why don't you come to practice that often anymore? Do you hate us or something?”

“No. Of course not. I just didn't feel like it today.”

“That's no excuse,” said one of the boys. “You could've just shown your face and that would've been enough. Even Sasuke-senpai was there, and he rarely is.”

Before everything got out of hand Tamaki came to the rescue. “He said he'll be coming tomorrow.”

The group looked pleased and with the promise that the blond would be there the next day the group began to leave one by one. A few minutes later it was just Naruto and Sasuke standing there. The raven tried to push away the jealousy he'd felt when the brunette had touched the blond as glanced over at the other.

“You sure are popular...”

Naruto smiled. “I could say the exact same thing about you.” He was quiet for a moment. “Hey, what did Tamaki-chan mean earlier? What was the “forget what I said” thing?”

“She asked if we could have lunch together.”

“Huh.” The blond looked at the raven. “And what did you say?”

“What do you think?” He received no response, only a questioning look. He sighed. “I told her I was busy, that I was meeting someone.”

“That's good. If you ever cheat on me, I'll beat you up.”

Sasuke raised an amusing eyebrow at that. “Is that a threat?”

“No. It's a promise,” said Naruto and gave his best serious look.

The other couldn't help but chuckle. “Alright.”

The blond raised an eyebrow at that. “Who laughs when they've practically just been threatened?”

“I'm not laughing because of the threat, or _promise_ as you put it. I'm laughing because you just showed me another side of you. A very protective side,” he explained before adding, “And I really like it.”

Naruto felt heat rise to his cheeks and quickly turned away from the raven. “Jeez...” He promptly recovered before turning back to the other. “Hey, let's go get some lunch. I'm starving.”

Sasuke smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

He watched the blond go and couldn't help but think about tomorrow, even though he would rather not. He couldn't imagine the other not being by his side. Naruto had become very important to him in such a short period of time. It was almost scary how much he cared about the other. To think that it would all change tomorrow... he really didn't want to think about it.

“Sasuke? Are you coming?”

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the blond. “Yeah.” He went to his side and they began to walk.

He decided then to not think about tomorrow and just enjoy whatever time he had left with the other.

…

“What do you want to do after this?” asked Sasuke suddenly.

Naruto hummed in thought. “I kinda just want to laze around.”

“Sounds good. Wanna come over to my place then?”

“No thanks.”

The respond was so immediate that it kind of surprised the raven. He didn't question it though.

“Alright. Forget about my house.”

They were quiet for a moment until the blond said, “Nami...”

“Hm?” The raven thought he'd heard wrong for a second as he looked at the other.

“Nami will be there again, right? At your place.”

He thought about that. It seemed that she was back together with his brother considering how they'd been acting around each other. There was a high possibility she might be there.

“There's a possibility.”

“Definitely not going then.”

Sasuke didn't like the look Naruto was sporting at the moment. He seemed down and a bit annoyed, it didn't suit him. He would rather see him smile.

“I'm sorry about yesterday,” he said after a moment. “She is like that towards everyone.”

“It's fine.”

 _'No. That's just the thing, it isn't fine.'_ “She probably didn't mean any harm.” He immediately stopped speaking when he saw the other's face.

The expression was gone quickly though, replaced by confusion. “Why did you stop?”

Sasuke shook his head. “Never mind.” It might have just been his imagination, but for a moment he could swear that he saw the blonde's face looking a bit pained.

The two lapsed into silence.

“Wanna come over?” asked Naruto suddenly.

Sasuke was taken by surprise and didn't know what to say at first.

“Don't want to?”

He shook his head and smiled. “I want to.”

“Then,” began the blond as he stood up. “It's decided.”

…

The two boys stopped by the rental store. Naruto had wanted to rent a film which Sakura had suggested. As the blond went up to pay the raven watched him silently. He slipped a hand in his pocket only to come in contact with paper. He didn't need to take it out to know what it was.

“ _You can go with the person you're dating next week.”_

Those words still made his stomach turn. He didn't want to go someplace with someone else. The only person he wanted to go places with was standing just a few feet in front of him. He'd wondered countless times if he should forget about this 'weekly dating' thing and just tell the other how he felt. The worst thing that could happen would be getting rejected. But something told him that he wouldn't. It might just be wishful thinking, but somewhere in his heart he knew that Naruto felt something too. He just had to have the strength to do it.

“Sasuke?”

The raven snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at the blond who had an eyebrow raised.

“Is something wrong? You've just been standing there staring into space.”

“I'm fine,” he said. “I was just thinking.”

“I see. Anyway, I'm done so let's go.”

“Okay.”

The two walked out of the store as they began to make their way to Naruto's house. As they walked Sasuke was reminiscing about all the different things they've been through. The time when the blond had first asked him out. The time when the blond had shared he hated it when people just went along with him. The time they'd shared their first kiss as a couple. The time when the other had gotten upset over him talking to Nami. The time the blond had showed genuine gratitude towards him for accepting him for who he was. They had been through so much.

They had gotten angry, argued, teased each other and laughed together. They'd shared secrets and showed different sides of each other. Sasuke knew by then that he had to tell Naruto how he felt. He didn't care about getting rejected. He needed the other just to know. His eyes shone with determination as he decided that he would tell him before the week was done.

…

Sasuke looked at whatever was playing on the TV screen with a blank face. This was boring. He cast a look at Naruto who was leaning on the bed with his arms folded. He gazed at the screen with a bored look. The raven took the moment to study the other's face. From his spiky blond hair, to his deep blue eyes, marked cheeks, and perfectly shaped lips. His eyes stayed on the other's mouth until they began to move.

“This is boring.”

Sasuke snapped his gaze up only to see a frown marring the other's face. “You're the one who wanted to watch it. In fact, you said you wanted to watch it no matter what.”

Naruto ignored his words as he got up to turn the TV off. He took out the disc and put it back into its folder before fishing out his phone.

The raven watched the other silently and was more than a little surprised when the other began to yell.

“Give me back my rental fee! Stupid!” And with that he ended the call before slumping onto the bed.

Sasuke looked at the other in surprise. “Who did you just call?”

Blue eyes turned to look up at him under the fringe of blond hair. “Sakura-chan.”

“Ah. So you were fooled by her?”

He nodded. “Lately... I keep getting fooled by Sakura-chan.”

“Really?” asked the raven half-curious. “About what?”

There was a silence before Naruto turned away from him. Sasuke smiled, wondering if the other was too embarrassed to talk about it. Minutes ticked by and he was getting a bit worried that the blond hadn't spoken, much less moved. He moved a little bit closer to him as he watched Naruto's back.

“Hey, did you fall asleep?”

“...Not yet but I just might,” was the muffled response he received. “Man, watching that boring thing made me sleepy.”

Sasuke chuckled. “You say that at least once a day.”

“I can't help it. I didn't really sleep yesterday.”

“Oh? What were you doing?”

There was a pause before Naruto straightened up and turned to face him. “I was thinking... about you.”

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. A slow smile then broke out before he could stop it.

Naruto watched the other and without thinking about it much reached over to touch his face. He was wondering what kind of expression that was until his brain made the connection.

“I'm really thickheaded.” And with that he closed the space between them.

When the blonde's lips touched his all other worries and thoughts escaped the raven. The only thing that was left in his mind was the want to feel, and so he let himself feel. He reached over to pull the other closer. Ran pale fingers through the blond strands of hair. Opened his mouth to let his tongue explore. It was all so hot and wonderful. He didn't want it to end.

A sudden buzzing noise interrupted them. Sasuke ignored the sound but it seemed like Naruto couldn't as he pulled away. When the raven opened his eyes to look at the other he was proud to see him panting with his cheeks slightly red. His blue eyes was looking somewhere behind the raven and he turned only to see his coat lying on the floor. He just realized then that the buzzing noise was coming from there.

“Answer it.”

Sasuke wanted to refuse but as he looked at Naruto to tell him that he stopped and with a sigh reached over to grab his phone. He checked to see who it was and immediately clicked the red button. He put the device down and looked up at the blond who was staring at him in confusion.

“Why didn't you answer it?”

“Because it wasn't important.” Before the blond asked anything else the raven fished out the ticket he'd kept in his pocket. “Hey, about this,” he began and presented the piece of paper to the other. “I want to go to this with you.”

At first there was a silence. He watched as Naruto seemed to have an internal battle before he asked, “As friends?”

Sasuke wanted to immediately shake his head and tell him no but a buzzing sound interrupted him. He glared down at his phone and cursed the person who was calling for interrupting him.

“Just answer it.”

“But-”

“Answer it!”

Surprised by the sudden outburst the raven's head snapped up to the blond. “Where are you going?” he asked when he noticed the other get up and go for the door.

“I'm going to return this,” he said and showed the disc folder.

“I'll go with-”

“It's fine. I'm going alone.”

Sasuke wanted to say something else but before he could come up with anything suitable the other was gone. He sighed and leaned back on the bed.

“What the hell just happened?” he muttered to no one in particular.

He didn't know how long he waited for the other. He tried calling him a few times but it seemed that the connection was bad or he simply didn't want to talk. He sighed before getting up and picking up his coat. No use lying around trying to wait for him.

…

Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh. He looked at his phone and decided that this would be the last call. If the other didn't pick up, then he would be going home. He waited as the ringing continued on and on. Just as he was about to hang up he heard it connect. There was complete silence as he put the device to his ear. He hadn't really expected anything else so he decided to be the one to break the silence.

“You know, the way you at times act without thinking? It's kind of worrying and confusing at times. One second you'll be happily kissing me and the next you'll be running away only because of a single phone call.” He paused as he heard some shuffling on the other side. “Did the buzzing terrify you so much you had to leave the house?”

It took a moment but after a beat or so he could hear laughter on the other end.

“Where are you right now?”

“ _Were you like that towards everyone?”_

“Huh?”

“ _To me, it's always been rather strange. For someone to breakup with someone so easily after just one week. To be honest, it's kinda absurd. Even so, I wondered why not a single girl you broke up with spoke badly of you afterwards. What kind of skill did you use? I was always thinking that. And now I think I've got it. You make the person you're with feel good. Though sometimes your teasing and arrogance can be a bit annoying. But even so, being around you is comfortable.”_

Sasuke couldn't help but smile. “Is that so? Well, I'm glad you seem to think so.”

“ _Don't sound so proud of yourself. The arrogant part of you is the worst part.”_

“I could say the same thing about your recklessness, or forgetfulness.”

“ _Shut up.”_

His smile grew. “Anyway, why did you suddenly leave?”

“ _...I was annoyed.”_

That surprised him. “At what?”

“At how I can't even stand little things, my head overreacts.”

Sasuke looked up only to see Naruto standing there.

The blond lowered his phone and looked up at the raven. “I get annoyed at myself.”

He watched the other in silence. He had a feeling he wasn't done talking yet. His suspicions were confirmed when the other continued.

“Even so, I wondered what I should do.”

“About what?” asked the raven when he realized the other wasn't going to continue unless he spoke up.

“About what might happen later. About 'buts' and 'only ifs'. Thinking about that kind of stuff made my head all messed up.”

“Naruto?” Sasuke asked, not sure what he was going with this.

“But, I understand now. I'm not suited to these kinds of things.” He stretched out his hand, palm up. “The preview tickets, give them to me.”

The raven didn't hesitate as he gave the blond the piece of paper. He watched the other look at the ticket before bringing his other hand to it. He watched with mixed feelings as the other tore up the piece of paper and then threw the pieces into the wind.

“I've decided.”

Sasuke's head snapped back up to look at those blue eyes.

“These tickets aren't needed anymore.” Naruto began to walk. “See you tomorrow then, Sasuke.”

Said raven stood there for a moment in silence. His eyes went to some of the pieces that were still lying on the ground.

_'What the hell just happened?'_

 


	7. Sunday

Black eyes gazed at the person drawing the bow. He watched as the string went back and then was released. He could tell by the smile on the boy's face that he'd hit the mark. Applauds that sounded distant to the raven broke out. He didn't hear their instructor or the blond speak. Didn't hear anything.

“Uchiha!”

Sasuke blinked and looked up where their instructor stood staring at him.

“Is something wrong?” asked the man.

The raven shook his head as he went up to the front. He worked the bow as his thoughts went back to yesterday.

“ _Even so, I wondered what I should do.”_

“ _About what?”_

“ _About what might happen later. About 'buts' and 'only ifs'. Thinking about that kind of stuff made my head all messed up.”_

The arrow was released and missed the target. He could faintly hear some whispering behind him but ignored it as he readied another arrow.

“ _But, I understand now. I'm not suited to these kinds of things.”_

The second was released and just like the first it missed.

“ _I've decided.”_

Miss again.

* * *

 

Naruto sat on the bench in the locker rooms. He was looking at a certain raven in concern. He'd been very quiet and distant today. When he'd greeted him this morning he'd not responded at all. He would just look off into the distance with a blank expression. The blond sighed before he decided that something needed to be done.

He stood up and took a few steps forward. “Who's in charge of the key today?” he asked.

“Ah, yes. I am,” said a boy with red hair.

“I want to talk to Uchiha for a while. Is it okay to use this place?” he asked kindly.

“Ah... Well...”

“I'll take over,” said Sasuke unexpectedly and stretched out his hand for the keys.

“I'll leave it to you then,” said the boy as he gave the keys to the raven.

A few moments later when everyone had gone it was just the two boys. Naruto was standing by the window looking at the sky but stopped and turned to Sasuke.

“What happened?” he asked. “Today you were all over the place.”

“...I'm sorry.”

That was not the respond he'd expected nor wanted. “Don't apologize when you don't meant it.”

“Then what should I say?”

“That's not for me to decide.”

Naruto was now really wondering what was wrong. Usually when the blond said something the other would have a witty comeback. Now though, he seemed to have lost interest or given up on something. His eyes were downcast and his expression was the same blank one he'd seen during practice. He was like an empty shell.

“Come on,” he said and reached for Sasuke's arm. Before he could touch the other though he moved away. “I'm worried about you Sasuke.” He might as well be blunt, nothing else seemed to be working right now.

Sasuke didn't react as he kept on staring at nothing. Naruto sighed as he tried to figure out what could be wrong with the other.

A sudden thought crossed his mind then. _'Perhaps... this could be the breakup.'_ He turned to look behind where a clock sat on the wall ticking away. _'It's almost five.'_

He looked back at the other who hadn't changed at all in posture. He looked exactly the same. The blond wondered what to do as another thing occurred to him. Words that Sakura had spoken on the start of the week.

“ _And at the end of the week he'll tell his partner exactly this: “I couldn't fall in love with you. Let's break up.””_

“ _Let's break up.”_

Those words sounded so harsh.

“...I should be all over the place.”

Naruto looked up in surprise. Sasuke was looking at him although it was not with a smirk or any other expression but the same blank one. The blond wished the raven would just drop the expression and at least look smug. It would be ten times better than this expression.

“As expected,” he began. “You were focusing your mind only on the bow, and got a steady shot like always. But I...” he trailed off and then sighed before trying again. “I wasn't thinking about archery at all. My head was full of other things.”

Naruto was quiet as he looked at the other. “Did something happen with... Nami?” He winced internally saying the name.

Surprised onyx eyes looked into blue. “Why are you bringing up Nami here?”

“Why, you ask...” the blond honestly didn't know himself why. He just thought that maybe Nami could be the reason for the other's troubles. He still liked her after all.

“I've never thought about Nami when I'm with you.”

He looked at the other in surprise. “Sasuke?”

Said raven seemed to be having an internal battle. Eventually he said, “Why don't we leave this place? I have something I need to tell you properly.”

The blonde's thoughts immediately went to the breakup and he nodded. “Alright.”

…

Naruto looked over the scenery as he waited for Sasuke to speak. He wondered if the other was always so formal whenever he broke up with someone. One week ago today, he still didn't know about the guy's serious or hopeless points.

“Naruto.”

The blond jumped, a bit startled. “Sorry, I was distracted.”

The raven smirked and the blond was glad to see it. All too soon it disappeared though and suddenly the other was all serious.

“Tomorrow... From tomorrow on I still want to go home together with you. Go out occasionally and-”

“Sasuke,” he began with a sigh.

“No.” He gave him a hard look. “You don't get to interrupt me now. Let me say what I want to say.”

Naruto wanted to argue but decided that would probably be a really bad idea. He just crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to look at the other. “Alright. Continue.”

Sasuke smiled gratefully but went back to being serious in just a matter of seconds. “I still want to go home together with you, Naruto. I still want go out. I still want to go to the movies, restaurant, store, or wherever else you want to go. But that's not all I want.”

The blond was honestly surprised at the other. He didn't know where the raven was going with this but it seemed like he wasn't done as he parted his lips again.

“I want to be able to hold your hand so that I know you're there. I want to kiss you whenever I feel like it. I want to hold you close and never let go.”

“Why?” It was the only question Naruto could ask.

Sasuke smiled. “Because I love you.”

* * *

 

He watched with bated breath for the other's response. He'd once decided that he would tell Naruto how he felt before the week was done no matter what. What better time than now? He'd thought everything had already come to an end yesterday. That was the only explanation for the blonde's sudden behavior. When he'd torn up the tickets and said those words the raven's heart had dropped. At first he'd been confused until realization had settled in. And after that he'd just felt sick to his stomach. But even with a heavy heart he'd still wanted the other to know how he felt. Speaking of the blond, he'd been silent for a long time now.

Sasuke raised his eyes to look at Naruto. The very same blond that had tears running down his face. Concern washed over the raven as he sprang into action.

“Naruto? What's wrong?” he asked and put his hands on the other's shoulders.

“You...”

Before Sasuke knew it his head snapped back and he was clutching at his cheek that was steadily turning red. He looked back at the other in shock. He'd slapped him.

“You... bastard.” Naruto glared at the other. “Do you have any idea what I've been through?” He didn't wait for a response. “Heartbreak! Complete and utter heartbreak. I decided to give up on you yesterday. I knew I couldn't compete with Nami. You cared for her too much. Not I or anyone would ever be able to come in between you two.”

The shock eventually wore off as the blonde's words settled in. “But you were wrong,” he said and closed the distance between them. “You did come in between.” He cupped the other's face with his hands as he leaned in. “And I'm glad you did.”

Naruto smiled through the tears. “You're such a bastard,” he said before pulling away to wipe his face. “You could've at least dropped a hint or two.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I did. Plenty of times. But you're too thickheaded to see what is right in front of you.”

Naruto couldn't really argue with that. He smiled widely as he straightened his back. “Hey Sasuke?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

The feeling that coursed through the raven's body and soul was pure joy. He smiled as his eyes shone with affection. “I love you too.”

“More than Nami?”

He raised an eyebrow. “How is Nami related to this?” he asked as he ran a hand over the other's hair. “But yes, I do love you more than Nami. More than I thought I could ever love anyone.”

The blonde's smile grew tenfold.

Sasuke then leaned in closer and without any hesitation pressed his lips on Naruto's. There was a slight hesitation and then he felt an arm wrapping around his waist and a hand at the back of his head.

This was exactly what he'd wished for. What both had wished for.

The End

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading Seven Days. I hope you enjoyed it.


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